At the Kalubowila Junction around 8p.m. on November 10th Pradeep, a bus driver, had asked a friend, Laksiri, to put a re-load in his mobile phone. Overhearing this, a traffic Police officer without saying a word had suddenly started beating both Pradeep and Laksiri. The Police officer had been provoked on overhearing the word ‘reload. Apparently he is known derogatively among the public as ‘reload.’ As a result of the asssault, Spinal cord of Pradeep was damaged rendering him unable to walk or stand up straight.

@ The Nation /Sunday, December 07, 2008By Sarashi Samarasinghe

The Police assault of Kurugamage Don Pradeep and his friend Laksiri, which was brought to light by the Asian Human Rights Commission, has taken a new turn with the traffic Policeman of the Kohuwala Station who allegedly initiated the assault, offering a cash payment to the victims to settle the case.

As a result of the assault, the victim, Kurugamage Don Pradeep who is a private bus driver on the 139 bus route, is said to have suffered spinal vertebra damage rendering him unable to walk or stand up straight, and also damaging his right ear drum.

“The incident took place at the Kalubowila Junction in front of a restaurant between 7:45p.m. and 8p.m. on November 10,” said Pradeep’s younger sister, C.R.K.D Sriyananda.

According to her Pradeep had asked Laksiri, one of Pradeep’s friends, to put a re-load in his mobile phone.

“Overhearing this, an officer named Manoj (41058) of the traffic branch of the Kohuwala Police Station, without saying a word had suddenly begun to beat both Pradeep and Laksiri,” said Sriyananda. It is said that Manoj had been provoked on overhearing this word as apparently he is known derogatively among the public as ‘reload.’

She said that within a short time a Police mobile unit and a team of emergency search and investigation police came to the junction and five police officers including the driver of the Police jeep also had started beating them again using hands and legs and batons. “After the assault Pradeep and Laksiri were admitted to ward number 25 of the Kalubowila Hospital and later on transferred to the Welikada Prison Hospital under the remand numbers 4195 and 4194,”said Sriyananda.

Sriyananda said that both Pradeep and Laksiri had been in the Welikada Remand Hospital until November 20 and afterwards released on bail.

“We went to lodge a complaint at the Kohuwala Police regarding this incident on November 12. The officers of the Police station made us wait for four or five hours and then refused to register our complaint,” said Sriyananda.

When The Nation questioned the alleged Police officer Manoj of the Kohuwala Police Station, with regard to the alleged incident, he said that he was not responsible for the incident which took place at the Kalubowila Junction.

“Pradeep was fighting with his friend Laksiri while I was examining an accident at that time,” said Manoj. He said that he cannot comment any further regarding the incident without the permission of the Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Kohuwala Police station.

“I do not know anything regarding such an incident taking place at the Kalubowila junction,” said OIC, Kohuwala Police Station, Prasanna Brahmanage.

Director of the Human Rights Commission, Samanthi Jayamanne said that Pradeep’s relatives have lodged a complaint regarding the matter under the case number HRC5741108 on November 14. “The case is still proceeding so that I cannot give a formal statement regarding the matter until the case concludes,” Jayamanne said.